Monday, June 27, 2011

Bare Bones

Well here we are, Christmas eve, for me it is, before I get started I`d like to say ........It`s not easy, the stories along with opinionated editorial narration, I have really tried to stay tame as of late, in the past I probably would have flung expletives every which way, half full glasses and mild criticism are difficult for me, life isn`t that way and the human factor trumps all.....Adrian Dix went too far with his lauding comments on the Gordon Campbell patronage appointment, a simple All the best and no more would have sufficed, however, time to move on...

Thousands of HST ballots are going to show up on BCers doorsteps tomorrow, the buck stops here, .....

Let`s be pragmatic, lets examine what we know so far, the BC Liberals lied before the last election, they lied about the debt, they campaigned on a "$495 million dollar deficit max" ....It was a lie....The debt was about $4billion dollars, .....The BC Liberals in writing told several large groups IN WRITING that "The HST isn`t on our radar" and then this

___________________________________________________________________________________________ During the campaign, the Liberal Party was asked in a questionnaire from the association: "Will your party oppose harmonizing GST with PST in British Columbia?"In its official response, the party said, "a harmonized GST is not something that is contemplated in the B.C. Liberal platform, but we are committed to improving the tax system." But according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, high-ranking bureaucrats in B.C. and Ottawa were discussing the HST before the last election and had prepared briefing notes on the tax for the finance minister....more here
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And what did former finance minister Carole Taylor have to say about the HST..

The NDP has taunted the B.C. Liberals over the upcoming harmonized sales tax by highlighting comments made by former B.C. finance minister Carole Taylor on CTV.NDP energy critic John Horgan raised the issue yesterday (April 26) during the legislature's question period.“Let’s move to another powerful person, the former minister of finance, who said not only did the government mislead the public during the election, she said the following: 'This particular tax takes the tax off businesses. It takes $1.8 billion off of businesses and puts it onto consumers. So that shift is a shift that is ideological as well as factual'," Horgan said, quoting Taylor...Read here

Isn`t that great, the BC Liberals lied about the deficit, lied about the HST, lied about planning the HST, ...The so-called Calgary economist Jack Mintz wrote in CD Howe in 2007 that the HST would cause job losses and lower wages for a decade, and raise the price of consumer goods,....Right after the 2009 election that sleazeball Campbell along with his henchman Colin Hansen announced the HST, a revenue neutral tax shift, remember that lie,

And these HST lies haven`t stopped, we were told going into that same election that we had the best jurisdiction and the lowest corporate tax levels in the G8, ....Then they dragged in Jack flip flop Mintz again, for a whole $12 thousands dollars Jack mintz claimed the HST would result in 131,000 additional new jobs by 2020...$11 billion in new investment.....Mintz`s 12 page skinny report with big letters, no tables, no data, a speculative crystal ball, well his $12 k report was quickly debunked, ......Then we were told all this tax upon tax would stop and consumer prices would go down, ...Fuel is up, didn`t oil just drop $10 dollars a barrel?..What about gold, lumber, what about food prices, cable, phone, has anything dropped in price, ....How come when we have had an at par Canadian dollar with the US greenback for over a year and still prices are way lower across the line, how come, ......There is no HST across the line and our prices are still higher, .....And the $1.6 billion dollar bribe Gordon Campbell took for selling us out to the feds didn`t stop him from raiding ICBC for nearly $1billion dollars this year did it!

So then the Government forms a new panel to report on the HST, the Dinning group, these people report that the HST is not revenue neutral but a $850 million dollar tax grab, .....And Falcon and the Liberal ministry of finance have yet to table any real budget numbers but concede to the Dinning report, so now they are admitting that the HST is a huge tax grab for the Government, another lie admitted to.....The Dinning report also claimed that families are out about $350 dollars a year on "Regular purchases" ....That means no big ticket items like roof repairs and used cars and more, the Dinning group to arrive at that number have also claimed that businesses have already passed on 90% of their savings, .....That too must be a lie, what prices have fallen, the miners, lumber, gas, all our export industries sell at world prices and any savings passed on would have to be lower prices for foreign corporations..That is...If you think they lowered prices, for as you know commodities sell at set prices that rise and fall, for example, .....Falcon and the Smart tax alliance have been claiming that our export industries and movie business need the HST to be competitive, ...Well, lets debunk that myth....Lumber in 2005 was selling for over $800 dollars a 1000 board feet...Today the price is about $350 dollars a 100 board feet......A 300% swing in price, what can the HST mean in that type of a market...look at gold prices, look at natural gas, 5 years ago it was over $11 dollars now it`s barely $4 dollars....Again nearly a 300% swing, ....Meanwhile copper and gold, and all the metals are high.....And remember this.....The movie industry competed in BC when the Canadian dollar was a mere 67 cents to the American buck, BC in 2009 matched Ontario`s aggressive movie tax credits....The tax credits and the rise and fall of the Canadian loonie is far more troublesome then having NO HST.....Back on the Dinning report, David Schreck not only completely shreds the Dinning findings but lays out by ...

By going back to our old PST/GST would not only save consumers $billions of dollars every year but balance the budget 2 years earlier

So what have we got, the liberals lied about the debt, lied about the HST, lied about being revenue neutral, lied about prices falling, what about the jobs, that too...BC has lost roughly 30,000 thousand full times jobs since the HST came in last year, exactly what Flip Flop Jack Mintz initially forecast, you can read more here.....

So now the Dinning report claims the Government was wrong about revenue neutral, and wrong about jobs, they laugh at Jack Mintz and now claim that the HST might create 23 thousand jobs by 2020....A number so small it would be hard to prove either way....

So whatta we got, we got lying Liberals, lied about debt, deficits, lied about the HST, lied pre-election, lied about job forecasts, lied about revenue neutral, and now the Liberals are lying in their ads, well damn close anyway, we have had a bombardment of push polling outfits calling BCers and telling them the HST has been lowered to 10%...We have the Smart Tax Alliance using the same deceptive past tense ads, claiming a 10% HST tax, claiming families will save $120 dollars per year.....When that is false, the HST is 12% today, not !0%, not 11%, ...It`s 12% period....Families are spending $1000s for years.....When the truth is Christy Clark has flip flopped like charlie the tuna, Clark said she wouldn`t try and bribe the voter by promising to lower the HST, or sending cheques, or launching a massive campaign, ...All broken promises, and what`s even funnier, ...Christy Clark`s so called fix, ...She has done nothing but follow the original deal, for the HST deal Campbell and Hansen inked with Ottawa allowed for a 1% percentage drop on July 1st 2012 and a further drop of a point to 10% in 2014 if Ottawa agrees......In other words, Christy Clark`s HST fix is nothing, she`s selling the same deal.......And who can believe long term tax promises when short term tax promises can be taken away in a blink!,,,,,Gordon Campbell went on TV and announced a tax cut, 2 weeks later it was gone, as for Christy Clark`s 10% percent HST promise for 2014....It`s worth nothing, in fact it has got the BC Government in hot water in the bond market....Even Keith Baldrey calls Christy Clark`s 10% HST "NOT DOABLE".....

Kevin Falcon had to go to New York to calm the money lenders, there are problems, you can`t blow off the money lenders, so the question is this, the money lenders also see that BC under a 10% HST is in structural deficit, so how did Falcon get out of that, did he confide in private that there never will be a 10% HST...For if not, he would have to explain how BC is going to pay its debts, oh to be a fly on the wall in that meeting!.....

So here we are, Gordon Campbell has received his gift from Stephen Harper for the HST sell out, Christy Clark has already lied and flipped and flopped, we have been insulted with phony ads that never mention July 1st/2014, or July 1st/2012 for that matter, .....I have written dozens of stories on the HST......Here is what we know, the Government had a year to sell the HST before it even came into affect, their story has changed a dozen times, the entire finance ministry have different numbers than that a 4 person appointed panel, doesn`t that give you pause, who`s right, the Dinning group or the BC ministry of Finance, we were lied to about debt, deficits, about job numbers, we have lost nearly 30,000 full time jobs since the HST arrived, prices are up on everything, I don`t need any anecdotal evidence, my wallet goes bare faster than before.....

Lastly, we lose our sovereignty to Ottawa with the HST, they would call all the shots, any 10% HST is gone with a simple cabinet in order document, the same one they are advertising as a new Federal law now, it`s a cabinet in order scribble!....

This is our last chance to stand up for Democracy, if we as a people concede to a corrupt group of liars and legitimize them by accepting this tax we will only have ourselves to blame, we have a chance to make Canadian history, world history, we can say to the corporate elites of the world...

We are British Columbia, home of Democracy, hard workers clean air, the Orca, wild salmon runs, lush forests, a diverse group of European, Indian, Asian and First Nations peoples, as Blondie would say, We Are Canadian, we are civilized, peaceful, our Province is a precious jewel and vital to life on earth......And that will cost you a little more to do business here!

12 comments:

It makes me so angry when I hear those ads stating the HST is 10%. I find myself screaming at the radio or the TV. So deceptive.

Heard today that the envelope you put the ballot in after marking your X yes or no for the HST can be seen through. If you mark the ballot, put it in the envelope and hold it up to the light you can see how the person voted.

I don't trust Elections BC or the Liberals and I am sure they are going to do something to make sure the HST stays.

I sure hope that this vote is carried out above board, but I do have my doubts. As long as Craig James is still running the show at Elections BC I, for one, cannot get that sick feeling that something is amiss.

A vote carried out at polling booths has many checks and balances such as the number of voters that cast ballots, a confirmation on site that the number of ballots given out matches the number of voters and the number of ballots counted also balance. There is also the fact that the initial count is done as soon as the polls close, on site, and as such many people know the results in their polling station.

Having a mail-in vote means that the voter has no idea whether his vote arrived at Elections BC. Also we know that ballots will be flowing into Elections BC over a number of weeks. How will they be stored? Who will have access to this area? How can we know that the ballots that eventually get counted are the ones that were stored in this area? Could two sets of ballots been created to give the people the illusion that all is well?

I know that this makes me sound like a paranoid person, but I always remember the quote I've seen written many times. The BC Liberal Party will use any tactics they need to to get what they want. They have done so in the past and there is no reason to believe they will not stoop to whatever they deem necessary to win again.

AS an aside, did you see the story on CTV's evening news tonight. They showed a report from the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives comparing the taxes paid by different levels of income earners. They compared all the taxes and fees we paid in 2000 versus 2010. The top 1% earners in BC paid 14.8% of their income in 2000 but only 11.2% in 2010. Middle earners(not quantified by income levels, but I would assume those that fit between the 1% previously mentioned and the 1.1 million that qualify for the HST rebate) paid 14.6% of income earned in 2000 and 12.8% in 2010. The bottom earners paid 14.1% of income earned in 2000 and 14.3% in 2010. I assume that the HST was considered in this study, but one must remember that the HST was only in effect for the latter half of 2010. No doubt the spread will be even worse in 2011 and each year going forward.

CTV ran the story again on the late news with an accompanying comment from our esteemed Finance Minister, Kevin Falcon. Basically, he stated that his government makes no apologies for this as BC is trying to attract doctors and nurses that earn around $80,000 per year. Obviously he never seems to let facts get in the way of spinning his message. There is no way in hell that someone earning $80,000 or even $100,000 cracks the top 1% of earners in BC. What a dolt.

Along with other readers, I too have my doubts about how honest this government is going to be with the HST Referendum. My money is on the rigging of the results or just plain out and out lying if the Yes votes win.

Bottom line is we will never know the truth.

What a shocking admission for a "demcocracy" that is run by a "Dick - tator - shit" @. No different to when Campbell was in charge - just a different Dick in the spotlight !

Oh for an honest government - or at least one that has some principles, integrity and credibility.

I was thinking about all of this and wondering what Alberta citizens would think if this BS was thrust upon them. I remember when the GST was first applied by the Conservative Mulroney government and Albertans were loading their shotguns. BC needs no HST because we shouldn't be having the PST in the first place!!!!!!!!!!We are a resourse based province. We have natural gas. We have wood. We have some oil. We have electricity and the ability to build eco friendly generators. We have water!!!! Look at all the freshwater from Clearwater River. Economic gold. And what do we do with it? Give it all away and taxpayers are fleeced. Watch for another Carbon tax increase on Friday.BTW, gasoline has dropped to less than 90 cents per litre in Bellingham. I for one have not purchased gas in BC for 5 years.Vote Yes to kill the HST. Vote no to the criminals in Victoria next October 24.

Craig James of Elections BC, has been caught in, lies and corruption before. James is a good friend of Campbell's. He fits right in, with the BC Liberal crime family. And, that says it all.

Campbell thieved and sold, every asset he laid his hands on. Our BC natural resources, are thieved and gone. We won't even own, our clean drinking water. Campbell and Harper worked hand in hand, to completely steal BC blind.

Harper's evil intention, is to put Canada in the N.A.U. Which Wikileaks says, it's just around the corner. Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be one huge country. These Unions will section off the entire globe. I want nothing to do with the U.S. nor Mexico. The Commonwealth country's, should be the Union Canada is in.

Our young Canadians boys were blown to bits, fighting Nazi Germany, for England. They died to prevent, exactly what is happening to this country, right bloody now. The Americans refused to enter the war. But, they sure in the hell, will fight to keep Canada now, won't they? Hmmm...I wonder why? Could the reason be, our clean water, our minerals, our oil and gas wealth, our timber? Canada is a common wealth country. We are not an American country.

It is enough that the people know there was an election (substitute election for referendum). The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.Joseph Stalin

I received my HST ballot in the mail today and of course will be voting yes just like anyone with an idiom of common sense would. After filling out and sealing the envelope I then was watching a news program when a commercial paid for by The Smart Tax Alliance came on. The commercial features a woman expounding the vitues of the HST and how her life would come to an end ifthey reinstated the old GST and PST . Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want but during that commercial I noticed that the ballot that the woman filled out looked exactly like the ballot that I had just received and filled out. I'm seems to me that particular commercial has been running since before those ballots were mailed out. If that's the case then how did The Smart Tax Alliance get a copy of the HST Referendum Voting Package before everyone else? I might be wrong but maybe not, could anyone clear this up for me?

I also believe the referendum will be cheated by Craig James. He was caught in corruption before. That's the only way the BC Liberals can win, is by cheating.

Campbell twice lied to be re-elected, in two different elections. I am astounded, Harper is sending that out and out, thieving criminal Campbell, to England as ambassador. That is so embarrassing and shameful, for Canadians AGAIN, because of Harper.

I believe the referendum, will certainly be cheated. I can't think of anything in this province, that isn't corrupt. I totally agree with Leah.

We have received our HST voting Package todaywherein is states: Be aware, it is an offence under the Election Act and HST Referendum Regulation to:.....see last entry.."persuade or compel someone to vote, how to vote, or prevent others from voting"

yet this Government is still advertizing on TV the HST and advising the public to vote NO...

Penalties on conviction...$20,000 and/or imprisonment not longer than two years.

So why is it ok for the Govt. to do so???Where is Elections BC that they are not stopping this waste of taxpayers money, yet again.We are both voting YES! YES!

obtw - just fold the ballot in half, then you cannot see thru the envelope - easy.